DEEPER EXPLORATION

Our Solar System

OUR METEORITE TRAVELED MILLIONS OF MILES TO GET HERE. THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS COME TOUCH IT.

Included With General Admission

That meteorite, which crashed into Earth and left a huge crater in the Arizona desert, isn’t the only bit of the Universe you can get your hands on in Our Solar System. Place your right hand on a Moon rock and find out why footprints last so long up there. Touch a piece of Mars and learn about the robotic rover that’s been investigating the surface of the red planet since 2012.

And don’t forget to make your own (mini) crater right here on Earth with our Crater Maker!

Our Solar System is much more than a star and eight planets; it is home to a set of diverse and amazing objects that we are only beginning to understand. Explore it with us today!

DEEPER EXPLORATION

At-Home Experiment: Cookin' Up A Comet

From the furthest reaches of our Solar System, comets occasionally make dramatic appearances in our sky. Comets contain a nucleus made of water, ice, dust and frozen gases. Studying what a comet is made of helps scientists learn more about the origins of our Solar System. Check out this Adler’s webisode featuring educator Kyle Sater and astronomer Mark Hammergren as they create a comet with household materials (and dry ice)!

The Adler’s Asteroid Characterization group is carrying out a program of visible to near-infrared spectroscopy using the Apache Point Observatory 3.5-meter telescope to search for asteroids that are fragments of the destroyed planetesimals. The identification of these fragments provides important information on the early history of our Solar System.